I think the problem with Christianity and in fact any religion or mass which is dedicated to something is that many people will use that as a way to justify their cause,and invariably it’s those who shout the loudest who are heard.
So e.g.the amount of sexual abuse that has gone on and been covered up by the church,the amount of discrimination against homosexuals, single parents etc done because “in the bible it says....means that that is the image of Christianity that people see and believe to be what it’s all about.And part of that is because the Christians who just want to get on with their lives don’t want to be associated with it so don’t speak out.
It happens in other circles as well.People see any kind of activism as a portrayal of that cause,so when we think climate change we think extinction rebellion.When we think women’s rights we think radical feminism,even when we think trans rights we think MRA and everything that represents when in fact those are generally minority views but because they shout the loudest they are the ones who are noticed and seen as representative of that which they stand for.
Personally I don’t believe in God. And if I’m honest while I can understand why some people believe I don’t know why they would want to worship him. Any earthly parent who abused their children in the way that God apparently does would likely have been disowned by now. Any parent telling their child that unless they loved them, worshipped them, put them above all others or be damned would have only themselves to blame if their child then went no contact.Even if that parent sometimes did good in the name of that child,because generally that’s what people choose to see. They say “but God is good,” while ignoring the fact that if they don’t toe the line he will turn on them.
Personally I believe that religion was invented by humans as a form of accountability. Firstly because no-one wants to believe there is no life after death,and secondly, if people were led to believe that their deeds would follow them and that they could be accountable into another life then there was more chance that they live decent lives on earth.
I believe that many people take comfort in the idea of a loving God because it removes the realisation that we’re in this on our own. If you have an illness,a sick relative etc then asking for God’s help is possibly the only thing you can do, and believing that God is with you means believing that you’re not alone.
People should do the right thing in life because it’s the right thing to do, not because of what they fear might happen if they don’t.
I’ve seen too much talk about how people feel they must start to live in a certain way because “the end times are near,” as if they don’t have to live like it anyway? 